Konoha Nights
by crusanite
Summary: A collection of stories exploring the highly vague and maddeningly complex world of Naruto Shipping. NaruSaku, NaruSasu, KibaHina, NejiTen, ShikaTem, JirTsu, and many more! Rated T for language and possible raunchiness.
1. KibaHina: Part 1

_Going in no particular order: **Crusanite's Naruto Pairings!** Yay! 8D_

_Unless specified, these all take place in the Shippuden Universe._

_First off the bat, we have a thoroughly under-appreciated ship: **KibaHina**! Because I am lazy, this story will be partitioned into parts. Behold, part one._

_Enjoy!_

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><p>Kiba stopped midstride, and snapped his fingers. His companions trailed ahead of him for a few steps before slowing to a stop. They turned and blinked expectantly at their fellow, whose eyes were wide with sudden realization.<p>

"Dango Shop," he said clearly. He paused to consider the words, before nodding proudly, as if he had just solved some universe-unravelling debate.

Hinata stared.

Shino sighed. "Dessert for dinner?" he asked irritably.

Kiba sniffed loudly and crossed his arms.

Shino jammed his hands into his pockets. "I hate dango," he muttered darkly, retreating deeper into his hood. "The scent upsets my insects... And me."

"Well, I don't see you coming up with any bright ideas! Besides, I'm sure we can rustle up you and your bugs up a nice plate of sticks."

Shino's sunglasses glinted dangerously in the electric light. "I've told you before, we don't eat sti-"

Kiba turned to Hinata, and his expression brightened. "What do you think?"

Hinata pondered the idea. She eyed Shino uncertainly, and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Well… I don't see why not-"

"Perfect!" Hinata squeaked as Kiba lunged forward, seizing her hand and dragging her after him. In panic the kunoichi seized the front of Shino's jacket, and the three of them stumbled down the lamp-lit street in a bizarre conga line.

Akamaru, who had paused someway behind them to scratch an irritating itch behind his ear, watched the rest of Team Kurenai wobble back past him. The nin-dog hesitated only a moment before trotting after them, wagging his tail.

Team Gai, who were shouldering their packs, paused in the middle of the street to stare at the strange procession.

* * *

><p>A few hours later, they shuffled out of the Dango Shop in a much lighter mood.<p>

Shino cleared his throat, and Hinata quickly hushed Kiba to listen. "That," declared the shinobi solemnly. "Was actually quite-"

"Holy shit, he's going to say it!" babbled Kiba excitedly, pulling Hinata's elbow enthusiastically. "Listen, Hinata, listen!"

Shino, paused, eyeing the shinobi coldly.

"Well, not now I'm not," he said stiffly, proceeding to march out onto the dark street.

Kiba laughed haughtily. He folded his arms behind his head and stalked after Shino in a very Naruto-like fashion, Akamaru at his heels. This wasn't missed by Hinata, who blushed deeply and trotted after her teammates.

"I knew you didn't have it in you," pressed Kiba. "That word just isn't in your vocabulary, is it Hinata?"

The kunoichi was started out of her thoughts by her sudden inclusion in the conversation.

"S-sorry, Kiba-kun, which word? I wasn't paying attention…"

Kiba grinned nastily. "Fun."

Shino's pale cheeks flushed a light shade of pink. "It most certainly is!" he grumbled.

"Oh really," said Kiba slyly. He prodded his companion square in the chest. "You don't even know the definition of the word, buddy!"

Shino stopped in his tracks, fuming. "Just because I don't roll around in my own shit like an animal doesn't mean I don't have fun, Inuzuka."

Kiba growled, curling his fists. His eyes narrowed.

Burying her fingers in Akamaru's fur, Hinata bit her lip, watching her teammates fearfully. Squabbling between the two shinobi wasn't a rare occurrence, but occasionally the playful picking turned very nasty, very quickly. They were conscious enough of her presence not to hurt Hinata, but it was always she who had to explain to a thoroughly unimpressed Kurenai the next morning as to why Shino and Kiba looked as though they'd been trampled by a herd of elephants.

And Hinata really, really hated seeing her friends fight.

As if on cue Akamaru whined pointedly, and Kiba's dark eyes snapped to the nin-dog. They travelled up to meet Hinata's startled gaze, before he fixed them on his feet. She could have sworn she saw a flicker of shame pass over his face.

The shadowed expression vanished so quickly she was surprised she caught it. Kiba barked a laugh, and punched Shino in shoulder. Not hard, but with enough force to make him stagger a little.

"Whatever," said Kiba loudly, roughly wrapping an arm about Shino's neck and ruffling his friend's hair through his hood. "Bug-watching isn't really what I'd call "fun", but I'll let it slide."

Shino grunted in surprise, gingerly removing himself from Kiba's iron grip.

"Fine," he consented. "And it's called entomology, not bug-watching."

Kiba grinned.

"Right! So, now that we're all one big happy family again, what's next?"

"What's next?" echoed Hinata, puzzled.

Kiba spread his arms wide, and spun about in a little circle.

"Well," he said in a matter of fact tone, winking at her over his shoulder. "It's summer in the Hidden Leaf, we're shinobi , and the night is young! We could go to a bar, or for a bowl of late-night ramen, or back to my place for a game of something, or…" He frowned, struggling to think of another option, since none of his teammates had voiced any interest so far. "Or… Uh… Hey, Shino! Any ideas?"

"I thought I didn't know how to have fun."

"Aw, don't be like that!" said Kiba hastily. "Listen! Maybe-"

"Um, actually…" Hinata twiddled her thumbs anxiously, slowing to a stop. Shino and Kiba turned to face her curiously. "I think I'd better get home…"

"What? Are you sure? It's not that late, and I'm buying..?"

"You might as well, Hinata. I'm sure we'll decide on something interesting to do, even if we have to have Kiba along too."

"Yeah, he's- Hey!" Hinata giggled.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, Shino-kun, Kiba-kun… M-my parents might worry…" Hinata shot her companions an apologetic smile, shyly raising her eyes to meet theirs in turn. "Goodnight."

And with a final scratch behind Akamaru's ears, Hinata Hyuga turned on her heel and walked away into the night.

Kiba sighed heavily, watching her retreating back wistfully.

"Bad luck," said Shino after a moment. "No one can say you didn't try though."

Kiba mumbled something under his breath, rubbing the back of his head bashfully.

"Anyway," drawled Shino, turning around and beginning to walk. "If you're still buying, perhaps the evening won't be wasted."

Kiba snorted, but remained where he stood.

"Who said I was buying?"

"You did. Not five minutes ago."

"Not for you…"

"How kind," remarked Shino dryly. "Hurry up, Inuzuka. I believe that Ichiraku's ramen is still open. Perhaps I can actually have some dinner…"

While Shino spoke, Kiba's eyes suddenly brightened. He looked up, grinning. Akamaru cocked his head curiously.

"…after all, there's no reason to-"

"Hey, Hinata! Wait up!"

Shino stopped, whirling about to see Kiba running after Hinata, waving his arm. Shino stared at Akamaru, who had remained stationary. The nin-dog stared back.

"Well?" asked Shino grumpily. "Are you going to abandon me too?"

The offended Akamaru picked himself up and loped after the others.

"Fine," growled Shino. "I guess I'll go then…" He turned around and continued his pace up the street. "… By myself…" He slowed his step. "… Alone." He stopped. "Again."

Shino hung his head, standing dejectedly under the light of a street lamp.

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><p><em>Baw. Poor Shino. His life sucks. <em>

_Not much KibaHina in this bit... BUT THAT'S WHY THERE'S MORE! BWAH HA HA!_

_..._

_... I never get reviews... *joins Shino under the street lamp of rejection*_


	2. KibaHina: Part 2

To Kiba's delight, Hinata smiled as he skidded to a halt beside her.

"Kiba-kun?" she asked politely. "Weren't you going with Shino-kun?"

Kiba waved a hand dismissively.

"Nah, Shino said he'd go on ahead." Hinata peered over his shoulder. Far in the distance, Shino remained in his spotlight of angst, rather obvious against the rest of the darkened street. She blinked.

"A-are you sure?" she asked anxiously. Kiba's grin faltered a little.

"Yeah!" he said quickly. "Yeah, don't worry about Shino: he likes to be alone." Hinata didn't look entirely convinced. So, he hastily wrapped an arm about her shoulder and steered her around the corner. "Come on! I'll walk you home."

Hinata smiled bashfully, looking at her feet. "Thank you, Kiba-kun. That-That's very sweet of you."

Kiba's cheeks reddened a little under the distinctive Inuzuka markings at her use of the word "sweet". It was not at all how he would describe himself, or really stand to be called by anyone else. Rather: he tried very hard to keep a rough, tough, manly-man reputation. However, hearing it from Hinata was… Nice.

He chuckled nervously, quickly removing his arm from her shoulder and stuffed his hands into his pockets.

"Heh. Well… My pleasure."

They walked at a pleasant but slow pace, winding in and out of darkness through the maze of Konoha's streets. The air was warm and humid, but not horribly so, and echoed with cricket song. There was little cloud cover above and thus the half-moon and the stars shone unhindered, casting long slivers of white light through the spaces between buildings.

Despite Kiba's initial opinion it was actually quite late: the evidence being that they passed hardly anyone at all on their journey. The neon lights of the downtown area hummed brightly, and the splashes of colours they cast at the far edges of a pedestrian's vision gradually lessened as the two chunin pressed on towards the residential area.

Their conversation was varied and comfortable and pleasant, as it should be between two close friends. They discussed everything from past missions to village politics; Hinata laughed guiltily at Kiba's very accurate Shino impressions; a very embarrassed Kiba chased and eventually tackled Akamaru, who had grabbed Hinata's purse in jest (who didn't mind in the least): he scrambled through two alleyways and across a main road to catch him; Hinata was horrified when she remembered that Kiba lived on the opposite side of town, and it took fifteen minutes of Kiba's constant reassurance that he wouldn't be missed to calm her down.

They walked side by side, for both had the route mapped clearly in their heads. So it was much to Kiba's surprise when Hinata suddenly veered down an alley on an unfamiliar route. Kiba hesitated.

"Uh, Hinata?"

"Mmm?"

He hesitated for a moment, simply to stare. She stood in the entrance to the alley, looking at him over her shoulder. Her fair, porcelain face was half-illuminated by light from a doorway lamp; the rest was cast in shadow. The low yellow light glowed softly against her pale irises. Hinata's dark, glossy hair shifted over her jacket; her long, white neck became visible. In short: she was gorgeous.

Kiba swallowed. A rush of affection warmed him from top to toe.

"Kiba-kun?" Hinata shifted uncomfortably and he shook himself, hastily regaining his composure.

"Aren't… Er, aren't you going the wrong way?" He prodded his finger towards the street ahead pointedly.

For some unfathomable reason, Hinata turned a very deep shade of red. He cocked his head curiously.

"I… Ah… Mmm… I always go this way…" she stammered, pressing her index fingers together anxiously. "It's a-actually a sh-shortcut, Kiba-kun."

"Oh." That made sense. Stupid Kiba. Of course it's a shortcut. It was funny: he could have sworn he'd worked out every possible route to the Hyuga residence. He could hardly believe he'd missed one. Still, a shortcut… Kiba ignored the pang of disappointment in his gut at the idea.

Akamaru happily trotted after Hinata into the alley, tail a-wag. Kiba shrugged.

"Okay, you're the boss!" Digging his hands a little deeper into his pockets he strode after her.

The alley was very dark: he could only see brief flashes of Hinata's hair shining in the staggered moonlight; Akamaru was a pale smudge. Since his vision was no longer of any use, Kiba's keen sense of smell was instinctively kicked up a notch. In the long run this did little to help him.

"Not much light here," he grunted conversationally. "You don't ever think of walking where you can actually-"Kiba swore loudly as he stubbed his toe very hard on a pile of bricks.

A familiar wave of cinnamon washed over him, and he felt Hinata's little hand squeezing his arm.

"Kiba-kun! Oh, I'm so sorry, this is all my fault… It's never been a problem before… B-but I hardly ever go this way with anyone else, we should have- Akamaru-chan, I think he's alright, don't worry – H-here… Byakugan!"

Oh. Obviously. No wonder the lack of light didn't bother her. Kiba mentally throttled himself.

He told Hinata it was alright, not to worry, he was fine, though she continued to fuss until they reached the end of the alley. Kiba could almost feel the heat radiating off of her presumably cherry-red cheeks. Despite the throbbing pain in his big toe, Kiba managed a grim chuckle. Hinata's firm grip on his forearm and murmured commentary in his ear of the geography of the alleyway were very comforting, and he had to supress shivers as, upon occasion, her warm breath tickled this neck.

Perhaps if Kiba had less restraint he might have stopped them in that alley, pressed Hinata up against the wall and kissed her senseless, and he later regretted the missed opportunity. Also, he was far too distracted in trying to block the said thoughts from his hormonal, teenage mind.

The alley ended after an abrupt turn, and thus they both winced at the sudden light. Hinata more so, with her added sensitivity thanks to the Byakugun. As the two blinked furiously to adjust their eyes to the brightness of the street lamp, Kiba's nose picked up on several very familiar scents.

Instant ramen.

Expired milk.

And someone he'd encountered many times before.

Kiba's heart sunk like a stone in his chest. Now, he understood. He had been right in his assessment of Hinata's chosen route: it wasn't a shortcut.

He imagined Hinata walking home after a mission, perhaps late at night or lit in the glow of the setting sun, pausing under the very lamp under which they were now. She was staring longingly at the top apartment of the oblong building, adoration shining in her eyes. A kind of look that, he knew, would never be meant for him.

Something snapped.

There was a sour taste on his tongue, and his stomach clenched painfully. His fists curled unconsciously, and Kiba glared at that apartment with a stare that, had the occupant been aware of it, would have set him ablaze.

By now Hinata's eyes had adjusted to the light, and she watched Kiba with a fraction of alarm.

"K-Kiba-kun?" she asked nervously. "What's wrong?" He didn't answer her. Instead, she watched in bewilderment as his jaw tensed and he narrowed his eyes to mere slits.

"Tell me Hinata-chan," he said quietly, causing Hinata to start. "Why is it you walk this way again?"

Her eyebrows creased in confusion.

"Why… This… Way?" she echoed, baffled. Her eyes followed the direction of Kiba's, and fell upon the target. Her eyes widened with realization, and she turned a deep shade of red. "Oh," she gasped breathlessly. "I-I… I didn't even realize Kiba-kun, I'm j-just so used to coming this way, I-I've always…" Hinata's voice trailed off, and she looked instead to her shuffling feet.

"Always," repeated Kiba in a bitter voice. "…Yeah. I know. I get it."

"I-I… I'm so sorry Kiba-kun, I've wasted so much time… Y-you could have been home an hour ago if I'd been t-thinking-"

Kiba laughed harshly.

"An hour? You think you've only wasted an hour of my miserable life?" His voice was cold, and his eyes finally fell on her. Hinata took half a step backwards: he looked crazed. He laughed again – an icy, humourless laugh that she instantly hated. "An hour – if only! Try years!"

Hinata blinked back tears. She was hurt, but she didn't know why: what on earth was he talking about?

"I-I don't understand, what-"

"Just answer me one thing," he snapped. Suddenly, he was right in front of her, Kiba's wild eyes boring into hers. Hinata squeaked in surprise, flinching when he raised a hand. He didn't take his eyes off her as he pointed slowly towards the building. "Why him? Why _him_? What's so special about… About that Uzumaki kid?"

Hinata opened her mouth to give her automatic answer. They had talked about Naruto before. Kiba had pressed her for details and eventually she'd opened up to him. She had always thought it to be one of the best parts of their friendship: that she could discuss something so private so openly. Kiba had laughed with her about him; he'd comforted her when she felt about ready to give up; he'd encouraged her when she wondered aloud if she should confess. Kiba Inuzuka was whom she could depend on, always, when there was no one else… He had walked her home, hadn't he?

A trickle of dread ran down her spine. He was always so kind to her… What if he thought that he wasn't getting anything out of their friendship? A pit of guilt drilled its way into the bottom on her stomach. She had never once talked to Kiba about his love-life; she hadn't stepped in to protect him from harm nearly as often as he had for her; she never offered to walk him home… He had asked earlier this evening if she would stay out a little longer, and she had selfishly said… Selfishly… Selfish…

But Kiba spluttered onwards before she had a chance to say anything.

"What's he got that-that I-" he choked on air for a moment, unable to get the words out. Hinata hung her head in shame.

Then Kiba said something he didn't mean to. It was cruel, and it was awful, and it was definitely the wrong thing to say. But Kiba wasn't thinking straight.

"Naruto Uzumaki is a waste of your time, and you're an idiot if you think he'd ever choose you over Sakura!"

What he'd meant of course was that Naruto was too infatuated with the Haruna girl to notice any other living thing around him. Naturally, this did not occur to Hinata.

A lot of people over her lifetime had openly expressed her hopelessness as an individual. And now Kiba Inuzuka was just another one.

There was a time when Hinata simply would have turned and ran, but within the past three years (with the express help of said teammate) she had truly blossomed as an individual.

Hinata slowly raised her head, tears of shock and hurt pouring silently down her face. She met his panicked gaze unwaveringly.

"Inuzuka-san," she said quietly after a moment. "Thank you for walking me this far. I think I can manage the rest of the journey alone. Good night."

For the second time that night, she turned her back on him, and walked away. She managed three steps before she broke into a run.

Kiba gaped after her, his expression pained. What have I done.

"H-Hinata!" The message that his brain had been screaming to his legs finally reached them, and he stumbled forward. "Hinata, wait! I'm sorry!"

But she was already gone.

Kiba dug his fingers into his hairline, baring his teeth in a silent growl. "Shit!" Akamaru yelped as Kiba slammed his fist into the pavement, jumping back a few feet. The cement cracked and buckled, and the skin on the shinobi's knuckles split wide open. Kiba yelled in pain, and crouched in the light of the street lamp.

Shit.

A stray tear rolled down his cheek, and he frantically wiped it away.


	3. KibaHina: Part 3

_Don't worry, this is the last one. It probably wasn't a good idea to start off with such an unconventional ship, but this one's my favourite atm. So deal._

_This is my favourite chapter so far, as apparently I'm better at everything in the wee hours of the morning. So, compared to the two previously sucky chapters, this one's not so bad._

_Anyway._

_I don't want to be a review whore, but let's face it. We're all actually review whores when it comes down to it._

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><p>Akamaru blinked at his friend for a moment longer, before picking himself up and sitting beside him in the pool of lamplight.<p>

"Hey, buddy," croaked Kiba. He didn't lift his head from the cradle of his knees, blindly raising a hand with the intention of burying it in the long, soft white fur behind the nin-dog's head.

Akamaru bit him. Hard.

Kiba yelped, cradling his bloodied fingers, which now matched the ripped knuckles at their base. He glared at Akamaru, who glared back, before lowering his gaze.

"I guess I deserved that," he mumbled, jamming the shredded hand under his armpit. Akamaru growled in affirmation. "That was… Stupid. So fucking stupid…" He had tried to think over what had happened: what had made him lash out so suddenly like that? Was it the lateness of the hour, the lingering pain in his foot, hormones, the wasted time, the sudden and unwelcome inclusion of Uzumaki? His behaviour was unreasonable, period. Kiba scowled, slamming his forehead into his knees. The nin-dog continued to watch him impassively from the corner of his eye.

After a few more minutes of meaningless strings of curses, Kiba sighed heavily, and addressed his knees seriously.

"Well, I have to apologise… But there's no way in hell she'll listen." He shook his head sadly. "Not to mention, there's no way I can get anywhere near her until tomorrow – and she'll see me coming, damn it – because… Well, only Hyugas get into the Hyuga house, and this late at night?" The shinobi barked a hollow laugh. "Yeah, of course they'll let me in."

Kiba drew himself upright in a mock-regal manner. "Hello, Hyuga-sama. Sorry to disturb you so late, but would you mind if I talked to your daughter for a moment? Yes, I'm the one who roasted her heart on a stick earlier this evening, why do you ask?" He deflated. "Forget it, Akamaru. We're screwed."

Akamaru angled a sharp kick into Kiba's ribs.

"Ow! Alright, I'm screwed, I'm screwed! There's no 'we'." Akamaru seemed satisfied.

"But what do I say?" he blurted suddenly. "I mean, I'll tell her I'm sorry I said that thing about Naruto, I'm sure he doesn't feel that way about you, I'm sure he actually-" Kiba's face twisted into an expression of disgust at his own words. "No! I don't want that, I-" He exhaled heavily. "I don't care about Naruto," he told his knees quietly. "I care about her… I care about Hinata."

Beside him, Akamaru whined softly, shuffling a little closer. Kiba chuckled weakly.

"You're not going to bite me again, are you?" Akamaru nuzzled his arm. Kiba sat up straight, leaning his back against the brick wall and watching the sky pensively. His good fingers trailed their way behind the nin-dog's ears. "Akamaru, don't fall in love. It really… Well, it sucks." He lowered his voice, now speaking to himself rather than to his companion. "I guess," he murmured. "I guess the best thing is to see that… To see that she's happy." He laughed darkly. "After all, you've been such a jerk I don't think you deserve shit."

Akamaru looked up as the shinobi beside him climbed to his feet, and took a deep breath. "Alright boy," said Kiba, determined. "I'll find her, apologise… Say whatever it takes to have her talking to us-" The nin-dog shot him a foul look. "-talking to me again." He hesitated a moment, pondering an idea. "And if it comes to that… I guess now's a better time to tell her than any."

"Hey!"

Kiba jumped violently, instantly shooting his attention skywards. A scruffy mess of blonde hair poked out of a window on the top floor of the oblong building. "Kiba? S'that you?" Kiba gaped.

"Naruto?"

"Yeah!" said the voice. "Kiba, good: I'm glad it's you!"

Kiba quirked an eyebrow.

"Why?" he asked.

"Because I know you," continued the jinchuriki. "I won't feel as bad when I tell you: SHUT UP! IT'S TWO IN THE MORNING!"

"OH, REAL WITTY NARUTO! HOW MANY MONTHS'VE YOU BEEN PRACTICING THAT?"

"AS LONG AS IT TOOK TO WIPE THAT SMIRK OFF YOUR FACE, JERK!"

Kiba scowled, and the window closed with a snap. He exchanged a glance with Akamaru.

"What a charmer," he muttered under his breath. "I can see why she likes him."

It was a fifteen minute walk from Naruto's apartment to the Hyuga residence. Hinata probably would have made it in ten, and on Akamaru's back with zero traffic it only took five.

Kiba had been turning over half-concucted plan of entry over half-concucted plan of entry in his brain the while, none of which would have been successful in any event. So it was nothing but sheer dumb luck that the course of the wind changed that night, blowing past the stationary figures of the chunin and his nin-dog out the front of the Hyuga household and carrying with it the faint whiff of cinnamon.

In the middle of the fence-lined backstreets of Konoha, perhaps ten minutes from the Hyuga clan's estate, was a junction with a large, lush tree planted opposite. It was a common meeting place for ninja teams about to embark on a mission. It was also a leisurely hide-away: Kakashi found it a private recluse for those troublesome times when he fell behind in his reading of the Make-Out series.

Tonight, the famous tree played host to no teams, and no perverted jonin. In fact, it would not service either of those requirements until dawn, at the earliest. Now, in the small hours of the morning, the tree sheltered in its roots a rather miserable looking ball of clothes. The ball of clothes shook silently, and little salty stains tainted the ground from the steady stream of tears that cascaded down cheeks hidden by long, pale sleeves.

The tree guarded its occupant warily as another approached: slowly, cautiously, as if expecting the clothes to take flight at any moment. The little ball of clothes stiffened and the tears suddenly ceased. She rose onto her haunches, ready to flee.

"Hinata?" asked the newcomer gently. The tree softened. He didn't sound dangerous at all. The bundle of clothes, however, wasted no time: she launched into the air, sprinting into the darkness at top speed. The other, however, was faster, quickly levelling with her and trapping her between the wooden fence and his body. His movements weren't hard or unnecessarily forceful, but the kunoichi cried out all the same. She struggled.

"Hinata! Hin-Hinata, wait, listen! Can you- Hinata, hold still!"

"No!"

Kiba drew back slightly, shocked at the very un-Hinata amount of force behind the word. Hinata took advantage of his pause.

"_Gentle fist: eight pa-_" Kiba's hands moved like lightning: snatching her wrists and pinning them to the wood above her head. Hinata stilled, but for the tragic trial of tears that refused to cease.

"W-what do you want, Inuzuka-san?" she asked quietly. He winced at the formal, unfamiliar tone.

"Kiba," he insisted.

"Inuzuka-san." Kiba sighed heavily, shaking himself. He would have to deal with that.

"Hinata, please listen…" he pleaded. "I know I don't deserve it, but… Please." Hinata, who had been avoiding looking at him up until this point, chanced a glance. It was only for an instant, but it gave Kiba the courage to continue. He took a deep breath.

"Look… Hinata-san, I'm sorry." She remained silent, which he took as an encouraging sign. "I'm sorry because I-I didn't mean what I said. Not even close! I actually said that because… No, uh, never mind… Um… I shouldn't have yelled at you like that. It wasn't anything to do with you, and it was really unfair for me to treat you so… so… So like it was. Something to do with you, that is. I promise I won't ever do that again because really, Hinata, you ought to be treated better. I mean, I don't even know what got me so wound up in the first place, though it might have had something to do with that detour through the alley where I hit my toe on that pile of bricks, which frankly was actually your idea, but… Um…"

Beside him, Akamaru whined. Kiba shot him a helpless look.

"You aren't very good at apologising, Kiba-kun," muttered Hinata. Kiba looked stricken.

"I know, I know… But, I suppose what really happened was… Was… I was being selfish, and… I wasn't thinking about your wellbeing and what makes you happy, a-and I do! Usually… I want to think about what makes you happy, Hinata-chan, because you do deserve it, and I want to be around you to make sure that happens…" Hinata, though still avoiding looking at him, couldn't help the slow creep of colour that was entering her cheeks. "… But if me being around you doesn't make you happy, t-then that's fine too, and I won't ever talk to you again if you don't want, because it's not about me, and I won't ever get jealous of Naruto ever again… I mean, I'll always be jealous, but I won't… Y'know, explode, and-"

"J-jealous?" Hinata looked confused. "Jealous of wha-?"

Kiba had suddenly turned a fantastic shade of red, and apparently had also lost the ability to speak. His jaw still moved up and down, but no sound came out. It was this cue of colour change that caused Hinata to stop in mid-sentence, and blush almost as heavily.

"K-K-Kiba-kun?" she squeaked, her voice jumping an octave or two.

"Buh" was all he had to offer. He released her wrists as if they were spiders, and jumped back a few feet. His face had yet to lose any of its colour.

Kiba was panicking. He had lost his cool. No, to hell with lost it. He had shot it into farthest regions of deep space; he had obliterated it; there was not even a shred of his cool left. Here he was, practically naked if front of her. In a wild, random tangent, he thanked whatever gods or spirits there were out there for at least giving him actual clothes.

While Kiba was thinking about clothes, Hinata's mind was entirely filled with an unpleasant numbing sensation. No thoughts ran through her head, save breaths of the conversation. Jealous of Naruto… Jealous… What? Jealous? Oh… Jealous…

Akamaru looked from Kiba to Hinata, back to Kiba, then Hinata, to Kiba again and so on. He, from his enlightened nin-dog point of view, thought the whole situation to be very silly. Akamaru was wise.

Suddenly, Kiba laughed an obviously fake, unnaturally loud laugh which made Hinata stare.

"So, you caught that did you?" Kiba attempted bravado. "Well, of course by jealous I mean…" He faltered as her eyes bored into his own. "Uh, I mean… I… Mean…" He sighed, and looked away. There was a long silence.

When Kiba spoke again, he kept his eyes fixed to a point somewhere on the ground to his left and his voice low and level. His cheeks retained their flare.

"I mean that you're a beautiful, smart, amazing kunoichi. And Uzumaki should be thanking his stars that a girl like you would ever, in a million years, give him the time of day. Hell, it's no surprise I'm jealous. But at the same time, I'm thrilled that I get to spend what time I can with you, even if we're just friends."

He opened his mouth to say more, but there was no point.

Hinata had fainted.

* * *

><p><em>Yay! It's done!<em>

_...unless anyone has any objections. Bwah ha ha._

_Coming up next: another unconventional but potentially hilarious ship! Stupid, stupid me. _


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